The supernatural and the secular, the old and the new, the exotic and the mundane converge at Mercado de San Juan- a collection of food so eclectic and extraordinary as the imagery that frames it. Mercado de San Juan offers a gateway into what would be the equivalent of anthropological “Cliffs Notes” on Mexico. In less than four aisles, visitors can walk 500 years back in history and choose from a wide array of pre-Hispanic sources of protein including chicatana ants, grasshoppers and other insects.

Grasshoppers on display at Mercado de San Juan Mercado de San Juan, Mexico City, MexicoPhoto credit: Brenda Storch

Walk a few aisles and a couple of centuries forward, and discover hundreds of varieties of cheeses at “La Catalana”. Walk a few steps more and find anything from duck to wild boar, ostrich and crocodile in the meat section. Plus, the market has its own fonda, a little food bar with fresh, rustic-yet-extraordinary flavors, in case you want to stay and eat like a local.

I have spent most of my life in Mexico City, and it was not until a recent trip home that I decided to visit Mercado de San Juan. This market has attracted shoppers for hundreds of years, and more contemporarily, celebrities, up-and-coming chefs and food enthusiasts. If you are in D.F. and close to the Centro Histórico, have a taste of Mexico in one of the aisles of Mercado de San Juan. Here, food is sustenance, food is love, food is sacred. Missing it, a sin.

4 thoughts on “Estampas de Mi Ciudad – Saints and Superheroes at Mercado de San Juan”

What an interesting picture. That butcher means business! I also am curious about the insects. I love the symbolism and how you can tell a story. You see beauty and significance in the smallest most ordinary things and turn them into an extraordinary story. Only in Mexico.

Pages

La Vitamina T Has Moved!

Dear La Vitamina T subscriber: Thanks to your support, our blog has moved! You are now seeing our mirror page in WordPress. If you do not want to miss your dose of Vitamina T, please sign up again to receive our updates here: www.lavitaminat.com. This will be our main page from now own. Once on the home page, scroll down to find a window where you will be able enter your email address. Muchas gracias for your friendship and readership!

La Vitamina T is on NBCLatino!

De Cero: Winner of our Search for El Mejor Taco Al Pastor

In Mexico, La Vitamina T (Vitamin T) is a tongue-in-cheek term we use to refer to tacos, tortas, tamales, tostadas and other carb-loaded delicacies.

When I visit home, food is probably one of my favorite souvenirs. Crossing countries with everything I want to bring is always impractical and at times, impossible. In my effort to feel close in the distance, I first brought pictures, then recipes. It finally occurred to me that food was perhaps the best way to make my new world feel like home. This is how, in a bout of homesickness, La Vitamina T was born.

In this blog, you can find your dose of Vitamina T. I will share recipes, and unbiased findings and recommendations on local (and not so local eateries), often served with a side of Latin America. Enjoy!

Get your Vitamina T via Email

Enter your email address to get your dose of Vitamina T and receive notifications of new posts by email.